Last update - 00:00 08/07/2007
Five Qassams hit western Negev; building site damaged
By Amos Harel, Avi Issacharof and Mijal Grinberg, Haaretz Correspondents, Haaretz Service and The Associated Press
Five Qassam rockets landed in the western Negev on Sunday, two days after Israel Defense Forces completed an operation in Gaza in which 11 militants were killed and eight rockets seized.
The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rockets, two of which landed in the Sha'ar Hanegev region damaging a construction site. The other three have yet to be located.
On Saturday, three Qassams landed in the western Negev, causing no injuries or damage. In two other cases, Israel Defense Forces troops moving along the fence separating Israel from the Gaza Strip, came under fire. There were no injuries.
The IDF on Friday ended its operation in the central Gaza Strip, which claimed the lives on Thursday of 11 Palestinian gunmen, most Hamas members. Infantry units from the Givati Brigade with armored support carried out the operation on the outskirts of the Al-Muwazi and Al-Bureij refugee camps.
During the operation, dozens of Palestinians were detained for questioning. Ten were arrested for further interrogation by the Shin Bet inside Israel.
A reconnaissance Givati unit found eight Qassam rocket launchers on Friday, in fields on the outskirts of Beit-Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip.
One of the captured launchers was armed with a rocket and ready to launch.
It is rare for the IDF to find launchers, and in this particular instance, the incident did not involve an exchange of gunfire with Palestinian gunmen.
Meanwhile, on Friday Hamas claimed responsibility for launching two Qassam rockets against Israel. This was the first time since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip that it has officially claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks against Israel.
Also Saturday, an IDF soldier suffered minor injuries from a rock thrown at him in Ramallah.